Amarnath yatra resumes

The Amarnath yatra resumed on Friday after remaining suspended for three days owing to inclement weather as a fresh batch of over 6,000 pilgrims left for the holy cave shrine, though the traditional Pahalgam route remained closed.
"The fourth batch of over 6000 pilgrims left the Baltal base camp, 100 kms from here, for the holy cave this morning," a spokesman of the Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board (SASB) told PTI.
A batch of 1,860 pilgrims left Jammu for the Baltal base camp, marking the resumption of yatra which was suspended for the past three days due to heavy snowfall and rains. The traditional Palahgam route is still closed and pilgrims are taking the shorter Baltal route.
He said as many as 4,958 yatris paid obeisance at the cave yesterday raising the number of pilgrims who had visited the naturally formed ice 'Shivlingam' to 17,436 during the first four days.
Governor N N Vohra, who is chairman of the SASB, paid obeisance at the sanctum sanctorum and prayed for peace, progress and prosperity in the state.
This was his first to the cave shrine, situated at an altitude of 3,880 metres in south Kashmir Himalayas, since the yatra commenced on June 15.
The governor directed that rescue teams be deployed enroute various locations for safety of the pilgrims, particularly due to the adverse weather conditions.
Vohra interacted with the pilgrims at the cave and Baltal base camp and enquired about the facilities being made available to them.